Shock-absorber.



w/mssses i m vbv r09 Wag/W W W K. K. PARKER.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1911. RENEWED OCT. 3, 1914.

LWUAWQ I I mama m1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNE Y8 K. K. PARKER.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV.28. 1911. RENEWED 0131.3.1914.

LIUAW. 1 Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSS A A TTOR NE Y.

\ trated ran snares TN Fry KNIGHT K. PARKER, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KNIGHT K. PARKER, citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of -Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shock-Absorbers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices generally known as shock absorbers which are used in connection with vehicles to obviate violent reaction of a vehicles springs when they are caused to exceed their normal degree of compression by any excessive increase in the amplitude of the vertical movements of the body of such vehicle due to rough or uneven roadways; and the object o my improvement is to provide a simple and reliable shock absorber which easily may be attached to any carriage, motor car or other vehicle whose body is supported by springs associated with its axles or running-gear, and which in operation shall offer a negligible degree of resistance to a downward movement ,of said body, however great he the extent of such downward movement, but which shall immediately interpose a proper and desired degree ofresistance to an upward movement of said body when such upward movement begins in response, to the reaction of said springs due to their compression, whereby any violent upward bounce of the vehicles body may be prevented when the wheels of such vehicle. strike abrupt elevations or depressions in a roadway and whereby the normal resilient action of thevehicles springs may not be affected during the travel of such vehicle over-tolerably smooth roadways. 'I attain suchobject by thedevices'illusin the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a view in outline showing my invention as it is disposed when attached to a vehicle. .Fig. 2 is a view of my invention in side elevation. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show parts of the same, in end elevation, when such parts are in relatively different positions. Fig. 5 shows in-end elevation parts of my invention with a portion of one part broken'away to disclose another part. Fig. 6 is a view in longitudinal cross-section of some of the essential parts of same. Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show some parts of my invention in end elevation and Fig. 9 shows same parts Specification of Letters Patent.

' A Application 'flled November 28, 1911, Serial No. 662,945. Renewed October 3, 1914. Serial No. 864,944.

in side elevation while Fig. 10 shows other parts in side elevation on a reduced scale.

The elimination of frictional resistance as an element relied upon by which to secure the compensating effect, has been one of the objects in view in designing this device. The frictional resistance produced by a given device may vary widely, through differences in the condition under which the friction surfaces act. The sources of these differences comprise lubrication or non-lubrication, roughness or smoothness of surface .as varied by service, presence or absence of dirt, extent of wear as affecting pressure, possibility of variation of pressure by disturbance of adjustment, etc. By eliminating friction as a working element and employing only the strain of a tensed spring modified by'the variable leverages of a strain transmitting system, I substitute forces which are uniformly constant in their action for forces which are widely variable. The device once adjusted is not likely to become disarranged or'to require readjustment.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 2 shows the general form of my invention by a view in side elevation wherein a bracket or yoke 11 (shown in side and end elevations respectively by Figs. 9, 7 and 8) is adapted by bolt holes 12, which are indicated by dotted lines, to be bolted to the bottom of a vehicles body. The downward extending arms of yoke 11 are each provided with a clamp 13 formed like a. cap of a journal-box whereby a stud 14 may be secured in a fixed position at one end of said yoke 11 and a stud 15 may be secured in a like fixed position at its-other end. The studs 14 and 15 are shown more clearly in longitudinal cross-section by Fig. 6.

Mounted freely to rotate on studs 14 and 15 is a spring-box 16 within which a coiled ribbonspring 17 is disposed in the manner of a clock spring,.as shown in Fig. 5 and more'clearly in Fig. 6, with itsinne'r end attached in a well known way to a catch 18 projecting from an enlarged portion of the stud 15. while its outer end is attached to a similar catch-19 disposed to project from the inner wall of the springbox 16 whereby if the stud 15 be turned in a clock-wise direction, or if the spring-box 16 be turned in a contra-clock-wise direction with respect to the stud 15, the spring would windup. The spring-box 16 is provided with a removable head 20 adapted by a hole in its center to slip freely over the stud 15 on which it may rotate and further adapted at its outer portion to fit into the walls of the spring-box 16 to confine the spring 17 as shown most clearly in Fig. 6.

,On the -fixed head of springbox 16 and molded thereon as an integral part thereof is an arm 21'whose outer end is provided with a'slot 22 and a pin hole 23 within which a pin 24 is disposed, as most clearly shown in Fig. 10, whereby the end of a chain 25 may be securely attached as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. On the side of this arm 21 and concentric with the axis of spring-box 16 is formed a hub 26 provided with a hole to form a socket for stud 14, as shown in Figs. 6 and 10, on which stud 14 the hub 26 is free to rotate. The inner end of arm 21 terminates in a rounded form at a point near the axis of the spring-box 16 to leave a space between hub 26 and the spring-box 16 for chain 25 as indicated in Fig. 10 and shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. The end of the stud 15 which projects through the end of the yoke 11 where it is clamped is squared to fit a square hole of a wrench arm 27 which mayv serve as a wrench by which the spring 17 may be wound up to a desired tension (while the spring-box 16 is detained by the chain 25) by turning the stud 15, which may be done by loosening the.

clamp 13 which normally clamps said stud 15 in a fixed position in the yoke 11 whereupon the said wrench arm 27 may be fastened at its outer end to the yoke 11 by a screw 28 as shown in Fig. 2 and in Figs. 8 and 9.

The spring-box 16, containin its spring 17, the chain 25, the studs 14 an 15, and the wrench arm 27 are assembled and mounted in the yoke 11 as shown in Fig. 2 whereupon the structure thus combined is attached to a vehicle betweenits springs 29 and 30, as shown in Fig. l, with the chain 25 extending between the.arm 21 and the axle of said vehicle whereby when the body 32 of the vehicle depresses the spring 29 downwardly toward spring 30 to a maximum extent of its movement by reason of the vehicles pas,- sage over an obstacle in a roadway then the spring 17 (which has been set to a desired tension by means of the wrench arm 27) acts to rotate the spring-box 16 on the studs 14 and 15 to a point where the arm 21 will attain a position near that shown in Fig. 4 whereby the pull of spring 17 acting on chain 25 may exert a force nearly in a line which coincides with the direct line between the axis of spring-box 16 and the point on the axle 31 to which one end of chain 25 is I fastened and whereby the upward movement of the vehicles body 32, in response to the reaction of springs 29 and 30, is resisted to such degree that such movement shall be so ferent maximum loads and different roadslow and gradual as to be agreeable to one amplitude of action of springs 29 and 30 acts to move arm 21 farther from its mean position'to impose a resistance against any upward movement of the vehicles body which resistance shall be of a degree to ob-" viate or counteract to a desired degree the reaction of the springs 29 and 30 as manifested by their effort to throw the vehicles body upward.

Manifestly the inner end of arm 21 may terminate at a point nearer to orfarther from the axis of the spring-box 16 as may suit the condition of different vehicles, difways and said arm 21 may even terminate at such point with respect to said axis that an upward movement of a vehicles body 32 would be absolutely prevented. Thus it is clear that my invention is adapted for imposing a proper degree of resistance to upward movements of a vehicles body at all points between the absolute checking of such movement and the practicable freedom of such movement.

In the operation of the device of my invention the greatest resistance in opposition to thereactive force of the com ressed vehicle spriii'gs is exerted at the very beginning of the'upward movement of the vehicles 5 body, when the reaction force of the vehicle springs is greatest, and such resistance .decreases as such body progresses upwardly in response to the reactipn of the vehicle springs, since the spring 17 embodied in my 110 invention is practically of the same tension at all points within the amplitude of the vehicle bodys excursion and successful results do not depend on an increase of tension in such spring 17 in response to upward movements of the vehicles body but do depend upon the circumferential and radial distances from the axis of the spring-box 16 of the points of contact between the chain 25 and the arm 21.

Obviously my invention may beapplied in connection with all the springs of a vehicle or to the rear springs only or to the front springs only.

What I claim is:

1. In a shock absorber of the class described, the combination with resilient means interposed between the axle and the body of a vehicle, of a spring-box associated with an arm, whose outer end is adapted to connect with a chain and whose inner end terminates at a point near the axis of said spring-box, and suitably mounted to rotate on fixed studs. a coiled ribbon spring disposed within said spring-box, one end of which spring is connected by a suitable catch with the circular all of said spring-box while its other end is connected to one of said fixed studs, a yoke adapted to be attached to the body of a vehicle and further adapted to support said fixed studs, a chain adapted to connect with and extend between the outer end of said arm and the axle of said vehicle and means for winding said ribbon spring to a desired tension and seeming such spring in a position normally to maintain such tension. i

In a shock absorber, in combination, a rotative shaft carried by one member of the body-axle combination, and an arm mounted to turn with said shaft, a flexible conductor connected with the outer end of said arm and with the other member of said bodyaXle combination, and adapted to wrap about the pivotal end of the arm, and a spring having rotative connection with said shaft, so there will 'be manifest a gradual diminution of the strain of the flexible conductor as the body and axle reeede one from the other.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this second day of November, A. D.

' KNIGHT K. PARKER.

Witnesses Mrs. M. J. MCMAMEE, Room WARD SHoTwELL. 

